'round here.

We're settling into summer time 'round here. Errands or gym most mornings, sometimes visiting the splash pad on the way out, then pool most afternoons. Workbooks and reading in between. Showers thrown in once or twice a week. Popsicles daily. Library whenever we get tired of the current supply of books.

Rick is about to finish a week of working nights. Oh how I miss that guy! I do really strange things to avoid going to bed alone. One night this week, I scrubbed our glass shower door for a good half hour, and there are still hard water stains on it. I can eat up another thirty minutes rearranging pillows on the couch, or puttering around the house aimlessly. You know I'm caught up on facebook and instagram. And my closet is amazingly organized. I need Rick to get me back to normal life, which includes SLEEP!

Before we wrapped up the school year, Carson participated in his second ever piano recital. Vivaldi's Spring was our favorite this time. I admire Carson's diligence. That kid will work hard and accomplish whatever he sets his mind to do.

We'd been busy and missed a couple days of practicing leading up to the recital. On the big day, I challenged him to play each of his three songs TWENTY times. He had a chart to cross off a number each time he played. He did it!

We thank our lucky stars for an amazing, talented, and FUN piano teacher (and friend!).

End-of-the-year teacher gifts. I was super lame and didn't do much for the teachers around Christmas time, so we tried to do something really nice. We made Carson's teachers these totes. Cute, right? Just painter's tape and fabric paint. He wrote a nice note with fabric markers on the inside. The totes had some goodies inside for summer time. Candy bars for the bus drivers. Granola for the librarian and office staff. I am a little bit terrified to someday have four (plus??) kids in school when doing things like this.

Summer time produce is here!! We're discovering new places downtown to get good, cheap produce. Can I take a minute and complain about San Antonio grocery shopping? I hate HEB. I desperately miss Aldi, Harris Teeter, basically any grocery store besides HEB. Choosing to shop at HEB or Super Wal Mart is a lose-lose. Don't get me started on how HEB's goal is to rip everyone off and get them to buy gross, processed food-like substances. (Hint: those Meal Deals.)

I'm constantly amazed at how different girls are from boys. This is how Miss Chatter Box dresses herself after a bath.

And seriously, she can prance down the stairs and run around in any of my heels.

There just wouldn't be enough giggles and squeals in the house without a little girl or two.

I'm determined to read WITH the boys this summer. Carson could go at it alone all day, but I want to read with him and make sure there's comprehension, too. We're reading The BFG  together, and they are loving it. It's a quirky but good one. I stumble over all the made-up words. Whizzpopper is a great code word, by the way!

And summertime means this girl can basically empty out her dresser drawers. All she needs is a couple of onesies and a swimsuit for those occaisonal times when clothing is necessary. Isla just learned to do "so big;" the kids think it's so fun to have an interactive baby now!

She claps sometimes, too!

How big is that baby?

A friend texted me this picture while babysitting, announcing that Isla can now walk around while pushing something. What?? Good thing we don't have anything on wheels like this at our house!

So, here comes that Texas heat! Bring it on; I am grateful every day that we bought a house right next to a pool!